SPORTING NEWS OF THE MONTH Monza, Liverpool, Coventry, Montlhery

SPORTING NEWS OF THE MONTH.

Monza, Liverpool, Coventry, Montlhery.

On this and the following pages are reproduced photographs of some of the leading racing motorists of the year. Particulars are given of some of their principal successes. Readers will not need to be told that neither the photographs nor the successes enumerated thereunder are comprehensive.

Monza.

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza proved a triumph for Alfa Romeo cars, which now have the credit of winning both the French and Italian Grand Prix this year.

Four of these cars as well as two Chiribiri’s, four Mercedes and two Schmid cars took part. The Alfa Romeos took the lead from the start and maintained it to the end. Ascari created a new lap record for the course, which he rounded at 104 miles per hour. On the 44th lap Count Zborowski, as has already been reported, was killed, and the remainder of the Mercedes team withdrew.

The winning time for the 500 miles was 5 h. 2 m. 5 s., which is equivalent to an average speed of 99 m.p.h. and this over a course which is partly track and partly a road, with several sharp corners. Ascari was first, Wagner second, Presenti third and Minoia fourth. The Schmids came in fifth and sixth.

Montlhery.

In the second meeting at the Montlhery track there were two races for cars, one for those having engines of a capacity up to i litres and the other up to a maximum of 6 litres. The field for the ‘4 litre race included three Darracq’s which came in first, second and third in this year’s J.C.C. 200 mile race, two Austin Seven’s, two Bugatti’s, one Chiribiri and a Thomas-Special.

The distance was 300 kilometres, approximately 200 miles, and the result was almost a repetition of the J.C.C. 200 miles race here. The Darracqs, or Talbots, as they appear variously to be called, came in first, second and third, being driven by J. Scale, H. 0. D. Segrave and Bourlier. Their performance was very similar to that at Brooklands, as they reeled off mile after mile with almost automatic precision, keeping their stations with no more than a dozen yards or so between first and second and second and third. The winner’s speed was 100.5 m.p.h.

Cushman’s Bugatti came in fourth, but was several laps behind. . In the six litre race there was a field of four : Vizcaya on a Bugatti, Hawkes on a Ballot, Racowsky on a Peugeot and J. G. Parry Thomas on a Leyland-Thomas. Actually the Leyland-Thomas engine was outside the minimum of 6 litres, and in order to be able to race, Thomas removed the rockers from the valve gear

through the two end cyclinders, thus reducing the capacity by 25 per cent. Notwithstanding the handicap this alteration must inevitably have involved, in that he had to carry round a couple of passenger cylinders, he nevertheless won by over half a mile from Vizcaya at an average speed of 178.977 km.p.h. (111.7 m.p.h.)

The Reliance Cup Trial of the Liverpool Motor Club.

As usual the Reliance Cup Trial proved to be one of the outstanding events of the sporting season now rapidly drawing to a close. The course followed was from Liverpool to the Vale of Llangollen and back, including such important sections as the Colonial portion from Boundary Stone to Cilcain, Maes-y-Safn, Allt-y-Bady, Bryn-Eglys and Bodsari.

The Shotton watersplash reached within a few minutes of the start was the first observed point. Most of the sidecar machines got through without any trouble and of the soloists only C. H. Fox appeared to be in trouble, apparently through skidding. Some little difficulty was encountered after descending Old Horse Shoe and in passing through a farmyard and woodland path near Pentore-Dwr where, as a result of insufficient marking, several riders went astray. Wade, for example, on a 799 A.J.S. and sidecar, got about two miles out of his course before discovering that he was wrong. A couple of watersplashes which had to be negotiated before entering Llangollen caused trouble to W. Edwards (798 Raleigh and sidecar), H. J. Marston (348 A.J.S.) and Miss Cottle (348 Raleigh).

After lunch, which was taken at Llangollen, several competitors were found to be missing, including G. Dance (495 Sunbeam), G. Hollowell (348 A.J.S. and sidecar), S. Parker (799 A.J.S. and sidecar), E. W. Hodge (998 Brough Superior), J. E. Wade (348 A.J.S.), Miss E. Foley (499 Triumph), N. Brey (499 Triumph), J. Spencer (732 Brough Superior and sidecar), J. J. Chipman (490 Norton) and S. Dowered (349 Matador). In the majority of cases it was discovered that the absence of these competitors was due to minor causes such as sump plug, slight clutch trouble or brake failure.

Allt-y-Bady was the first difficult stretch to be encountered after the lunch stop and it was in a particularly bad state. In the event it accounted for a great many failures. Outstanding performances were made by F. T. Sibley on a 346 Rudge, R. L. Galloway (348 c.c. Black), Dwarf (Bradshaw), Giles (348 A.J.S. and sidecar), H. J. Marston (348 A.J.S.) had trouble in having to avoid the many failures which strewed the hill.

A perfect climb was made by C. H. Fox (557 c.c. B.S.A.), while Bert Kershaw (Cotton-Barr and Stroud) touched only once and that for a very short time. Other good ascents were made by F. W. Viles (399 c.c. Raleigh), E. Damadien (550 Triumph), H. J. Willis (346 Montgomery) and S. A. Crabtree (348 Raleigh). In the finish the following riders checked in. SIDECARS.—H. Gibson (798 Raleigh), G. Harvey (346 Rudge), W. Channing (346 Rudge), F. T. Sibley (346 Rudge), H. Cook (732 Sunbeam), R. L. Galloway (348 B.D-Bradshaw), 0. Wade (799 A.J.S.), W. Edwards

(798 Raleigh), N. P. 0. Bradley (599 Sunbeam), E. F. Dackers (624 Quadrant), F. W. Giles (348 A.J.S.), and H. Roberts (596 New Hudson). SOLO MACHINES.—H. C. Marston (348 A.J.S.), W. J. Kellett (499 Sunbeam), C. H. Fox (557 B.S.A.), L. K. Ward (348 Raleigh), N. C. Sclater (499 Triumph), E. L. Boston (348 A.J.S.), P. G. Thomason (398 A.B.C.), L. Crisp (349 Humbert), G. E. Addinsell (349 Dot-Bradshaw), B. Kershaw (349 Cotton-B. and S.), Marjorie Cottle (348 Raleigh), H. G. Grassby (349 B.S.A.), F. W. Viles (399 Raleigh), E. Damadien (550 Triumph), W. Brockbank (492 Sunbeam), H. J. Willis (349 Montgomery), J. W. Jones (349 Ivy), S. A. Crabtree (348 Raleigh), J. G. Muir (346 Zenith), J. Howard Davies (492 Sunbeam), R. Leicester (399 Raleigh), L. Randles (492 Sunbeam), P. F. G. Bradley (492 Sunbeam), C. Edge (499 Sunbeam), H. Poole (348 A. J .S.), W. H. Hadfield (348 Raleigh), G. Warbrick (499 Sunbeam), A. I. Wynne Williams (486 Scott), F. E. Nash (596 Scott), J. H. Simpson (348 A.J.S.), G. W. Lowe (498 Scott), H. Hesketh, jun. (348 Raleigh), J. B. Clegg (490 Norton), H. Leigh (499 Sunbeam),

H. G. Thomas (349 Montgomery), S. 011erhead (346 Dot-Jap), F. R. Marston (550 Triumph).

The Reliance Cup for the best performance of the day was awarded to F. W. Viles ; the Burns Amateur Cup, for the best performance by an amateur (Private Owner) to L. Randles ; the Butterworth Trophy, for the best performance by a Liverpool Club member, resident within twenty miles of Liverpool, to H. Gibson ; the Mogridge Memorial Cup, for the best performance of a Liverpool Club Member who served in His Majesty’s Forces during the late War, to B. Kershaw, and the Wembley Trophy, for the best performance on a passenger machine, by a Liverpool Club member residing within twenty miles of Liverpool, went to H. Roberts. Gold Medals went to eight who finished with 95 marks or over, and Silver Medals to seventeen, with 85 or over.

Ace Club’s Rodeo.

This Club held a most successful ” Rodeo ” in the Coventry Memorial Park recently, in the presence of the Mayor and many other leading citizens.

The first event of importance was a football match between the Coventry and Warwickshire Club and the Ace Club, the former winning by two—nil. Afterwards the Coventry and Warwickshire experts met a team of Triumph riders, again winning, this time the score being three—nil. Both games were very fast and exciting.

Admirable displays of trick riding were then given by Messrs. Jervis (349 B.S.A.), D. Brandish (348 A.J.S.), and W. Evans (499 Triumph). Jervis’s performance was almost miraculous. He seemed to be able to ride the machine in almost any position. Brandish replaced his saddle by a pair of aluminium footboards and his most striking stunt was that of riding round the field standing up on these footboards and lighting a cigarette while so doing. The long jump was won by Savage on a 349 overhead valve B.S.A., after tieing with Boyce (499 Triumph), he covered 42 ft. 6 in. Other good performances in this event were D. Brandish, W. Evans, Jervis and Banks-Williams. A relay race was won by a Coventry and Warwickshire team, and this was followed by a kangaroo race over see-saws and jumping ramps. The proceeds of these events were devoted to the Coventry War Memorial Fund.